My grandfather Barlow was a prolific poet. When he died my grandmother spent more than a year compiling and editing his poetry. She gave a copy to all of her children and grandchildren. My favorite poem of his is this one:
A good thing to remember
A better thing to do
Is be part of the construction gang
And not the wrecking crew.
I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Since I have a propensity to procrastinate I've decided that the poem needs a second stanza. I hope my grandpa would approve.
One builds it up
One tears it down
One more does nothing
Only one is renowned.
I can remember as a child, teaching myself how to braid by playing with a pine needle. When I had finished the braid I felt like I had created something wonderful. Not that the braid was fantastic, the point was: I had created. That feeling of accomplishment was/is so wonderful. I love being part of the construction gang.
What makes you feel that way?
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3 comments:
I like the thought.
It's definitely true...
Tears--not tares though.
Oh, and it threw me a little because it is different syllabic-ly than Grandpa's.
Kris, maybe he was just trying to emphasize the destructive nature of allowing weeds to grow up around structures?
Am I also reading a lecture on work ethic from a guy that graduated 59th out of 69 in our class despite having the third highest ACT score? The guy that would rather read fiction than pay attention? I will admit you were always game when an idea arose. Was that early manifestations of your "can do" attitude?
Kris - I realize the cadance isn't the same, but it does continue with the original thought
Per - I graduated 56th...lets not short sell me now. I am a firm believer in continuous personal reformation. My MBA grades are a better reflection of my revised work ethic. It wasn't the ACT score that was cool for me. I had the HIGHEST OVERALL SATs. You beat me in math, Brian Garrity beat me in language, I beat you both overall.
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